Falling inside the black
by Lady Shadow Cassandra
Summary: Post 4x06. Stefan leaving Mystic Falls raised consequences no one - not even him - expected. Darkness had a price and it was often bloody. (Salvatore brothers-centric)
1. Part I

_After seeing the promo for 4x07, I just needed to write something about the Salvatore brothers. Very short, a bit bloody at the beginning (mentions of torture). I don't own the characters and the title comes from one of Skillet's songs. (Crossposted on AO3.) _

_Edit: due to requests, there is now a following to this text!_

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**Part I**

The blood was dripping on the floor, breaking the silence of the room. Only the moon was lighting the small space from a little window, not even reachable by human height. A form moved slowly on the other side of the room, careful to stay as far as possible from the window. A skinny hand touched bruised skin, trying to decide if bones were broken – and considering the pain, they probably were. The silence was deafening, making the form to breathe a little more loudly, trying to reassure himself he wasn't going crazy. Waking up from any of his "special sessions" had become a slower – and more painful – process since a few… weeks? He had lost track of the time too easily during his first month here.

Moving too quickly from his lying spot, he winced in pain as the skin of his back seemed to be burning. He curled in on himself against the wall, trying to soothe the pain. The verveine running through his veins was weakening him a bit more as days were passing by, leaving him as dangerous as a newborn kitten. Soon he would not be able to move on his own anymore, and when that day came… Well, the hunters would be happy, right? They had been keeping him in this sordid place long enough for him to be assured he wouldn't get out of here alive. And too much time had been flying by for the hope of any kind of rescue to stay strong in his mind. His friends probably thought he had disappeared somewhere in the south, trying to mend his broken heart without bathing in the blood of innocent victims – not that he had ever been a fan of bloody baths, but hey, it was going well with the myths. But his current situation was his own fault after all, had he not been leaving Mystic Falls in such a hurry without telling anyone where he was heading… Seeing his brother with Elena would have been less painful than falling in the trap these damn hunters had prepared for the vampire going down Arizona's roads. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the door opening and gasped in pain when a dirty boot fell on his stomach.

"Get up, you dirty bloodsucker, we have something new for you today," the voice grumbled.

He tried to obey, only to find himself falling back to the floor with a loud noise, the shock reopening fresh wounds. In a dizzy state, he felt himself being transported to another room he had become quite afraid to see in the past few months – there was nothing but pain and suffering here.

He blacked out too easily.

Too many times.

ooOoo

Loud noises brought him back from the lands of darkness where his mind was staying, trying to get some rest. Soon the smell of blood reached him, leaving him in a deeper state of starvation – oh, how these hunters liked to torture him this way! But he had never given up, never agreed to do what they wanted in order to get some blood. Too stubborn. And they had laughed at his pitiful tries to stay strong, before they stopped teasing him with blood… - _and he was drinking blood from the vein_. Natural, _human blood_ and he couldn't even enjoy it, too weak to even reach the arm pulled in front of him.

"Come on, brother, just drink a bit more…"

And there were people talking to him…

"'told you he was too weak, can't even drink…."

Voices he knew?

"We need to get him out of here…"

And soon someone was holding him like a kid, someone whose smell he knew, a strong, reassuring presence…

"Just hurry, we're losing him!"

From before?

ooOoo

He woke up in a soft, comfy bed, bandages all over his body and the taste of blood still strong in his mouth. His eyes were too heavy for him to open them, but he could still listen to the noises of the house – whispered conversations somewhere in lower floors, heated discussion in another room, the sounds of someone… baking? – and suddenly, someone else breathing calmly in the room. His body tensed immediately, and his breathing quickened.

"Stefan."

The hand was strong but gentle on his shoulder – and definitively masculine. He stayed still while the hand was moving towards his neck, touching carefully a new scar induced by verveine and other silver objects he didn't want to think about anymore, before petting his cheek. That was definitively a move he knew from before… _before_.

Damon.

"I know you're awake" his brother says, smirk plain in this voice. "So drink this and try to open your eyes once you're done."

It took him a few minutes, savoring the flavor – rich, sweet human blood, and perhaps a bit spicy, nothing like Elena's… but still feminine. Bonnie's? – taking his time to drink all of it (too weak to go faster) before he tried to open his eyes. He failed at first but soon enough Damon's face was in front of his own, a soft, warm light coming from his desk. Damon's room then.

"How are you feeling?" Damon enquired with a frown of concern on his face.

"Tired," Stefan answered with a yawn, struggling to keep his eyes open. Seeing the lack of natural light in the room, it looked like it was the end of the afternoon – and suddenly he felt the familiar weight of the ring on his finger. Things were going back to their usual state.

"That's not really surprising," Damon mumbled before sitting on the bed, head tilted towards his little brother, looking slightly more relaxed. "Meredith checked you once we were back here and she said you're gonna need a couple of days before being able to get out of bed. Verveine still needs to leave your body and _you_ need to heal properly before leaving the house, even with your ring."

His stern tone of voice did nothing to conceal his worry. Stefan tried to smile, but quickly gave up, too tired even for that and needing answers before getting back to sleep – which was going to happen sooner than later.

"How did you find me?"

Damon shrugged, his eyes avoiding Stefan's face. "I was already looking after you. Couldn't really let my pain-in-the-ass little brother out of my watch after a break-up, right? And you disappeared from Arizona so brutally; I knew it couldn't have been natural…"

Stefan nodded. The trap had been well-thought and people would have had difficulties to track a trail from it, if they weren't already looking for it.

"The hunters –" His voice gave up too fast for his linking, and he was unable to continue. Concern darkened Damon's face as he brushed a hand through Stefan's hair. "We took care of them, no need to worry."

It was getting harder to stay awake, but he wanted more answers – and it was showing on his face, he knew it.

"Just sleep Stefan; you will have the whole story once you're fully awake."

It was painful and exhausting, but he managed to put his right hand near Damon, who caught it by the wrist with a light sigh.

"I won't leave you while you are sleeping, brother."

Sleeping was safe, now.

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_Leaving a review would be really nice of you. _


	2. Part II

_Thank you for the reviews everyone! You have been a few to ask for a follow up, so there it is! I think there will be another part after this one (or even perhaps a fourth... we'll see). An American friend of mine corrected this part (as I am not a native English-speaker, unfortunately for me) so don't hesitate to tell me if mistakes are still remaining! Have a good reading!_

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**Part II**

The smell of blood was stronger than before, making him hungry. He could almost taste it; he only needed to reach his hand a little farther… But no, of course not, it was a trap. They wanted to see if he was still so desperate for blood that he would…

"Stefan."

Silence. His old nightmares were torturing him again.

"Stefan."

His brother was gone, far away, _far far away from him_, safe in Mystic Falls with Elena. Nobody could hurt him – them – anymore. The hand in his hair was gentle though, and the grip on his shoulder not painful, just firm.

Damon?

"Let Bonnie go, Stefan, you're hurting her."

Bonnie?

_Right_.

He was home.

"I'll just wait in the corridor," Bonnie said softly, "Call me if you need anything."

The steps were soon fading away. He opened his eyes slowly, disorientated. Damon was sitting on a chair next to the bed, concern and worry clearly written all over his face. The light of the lamps were drawing shadows on the walls, giving a comfy atmosphere to the room. Damon's room.

"What am I doing in your bed?" Stefan asked in a hoarse voice. He tried to sit down on his own, but he was still too weak. His arms couldn't hold his weight, and he would have fallen if it wasn't for Damon catching him and helping him sit back against the wall, a pillow helping cushion his back.

"We tried to put you on your own bed when we came back but you weren't letting go of me so we put you here," Damon answered calmly, the ghost of a smirk on his lips, hands shaking oh so slightly.

"I don't remember…"

"You were delirious." His smile was a little more heartfelt this time. "Don't worry about that."

The blood bag ending up on his legs startled him enough to make Damon still. The brothers looked at each other, Stefan fighting to keep his calm and not jump out of bed to hide somewhere else – somewhere in the darkness. He wasn't used to being looked at like a wounded animal – certainly not by Damon.

"Bonnie said the hunters had a witch with them," Damon indicated in the same calm voice. His head tilted a little, and he wasn't even bothering to hide his curiosity. "Seeing how you reacted to Bonnie, I guess she was right when she said these witches had you under a spell…"

"That's quite possible," Stefan mumbled, drinking blood cautiously. "Things were… _weird_, there." He paused a few moments, thinking about it, oblivious to the way his shoulders relaxed when Damon moved on the other side of the bed, a blood bag in each hand. "And how come Bonnie was here earlier? I thought she said she didn't want to deal with us when I left?"

"Things… have changed a lot while you were gone," Damon finally answered after a few long, uncomfortable minutes of silence.

"Your brother is quite annoying when he is worried about you."

Klaus's voice was enough to make him jump, heart racing, blood pumping through his veins – and _that_ was painful, which probably meant he still had verveine in his blood. Damon was in the middle of the room faster than human eyes could have seen it, his usual annoyed expression back full force on his face.

"This is a private discussion," He sneered, his frown growing when Klaus snorted, still leaning in the doorstep.

Bonnie was nowhere to be seen in the corridor, but Stefan could still smell her blood – and she was back in the kitchen, along with… Matt? Wasn't he already there when he had woken up for the first time? What was going on exactly?

"You wanted to know when Caroline would be here, well there she is," Klaus was declaring with his usual smirk, a light in his eyes – light always there when Caroline was around.

"This is so _nice_ of you to give us a warning," Damon answered without moving, head raised.

Stefan found it difficult not to roll his eyes at the sight of his brother playing the alpha male – but it was often like that when Klaus was giving him some marks of attention, so… he couldn't really say he minded it. That was definitively a comforting feeling.

"Now if you don't mind leaving us alone… the door is open for you."

"We will be waiting for both of you for breakfast," Klaus answered, definitively amused by the whole scene – and his smirk was _really_ annoying. "Don't strain yourself!" He called to Stefan, eyes sparkling with mirth, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Damon sighed with impatience before turning back to his brother, seeming to be back to his usual persona – and for the first time since he had awakened, Stefan registered Damon's creased clothes and the dark circles under his eyes. Someone hadn't got a lot of sleep during the past few days… or weeks?

"You should go take a shower," Damon suggested with a move of the hand. "You stink, brother." He added, wrinkling his nose for show.

"I don't think I had an opportunity to take a shower when I was stuck there," Stefan answered before getting out of bed, noticing he was only wearing boxers and a t-shirt, before heading to the bathroom. He had only moved a few steps before his legs gave out from under him. He would have had a painful meeting with the floor if it wasn't for Damon catching him quickly.

"A bath would probably be less dangerous then," Damon suggested, helping him to reach his destination, an arm around his waist to support him.

It had been a long time since someone had prepared him a hot bath, musing out loud about various things of everyday life – "…"and Klaus is frankly insufferable, it was already bad enough when we had to share the town with him but he is spending his time here, I don't know how you managed to spend _so much time_ with him…" – checking the temperature of the water and putting bubble bath in it – "not as much as Rebekah though. I thought Caroline was going to rip her head off in the first days if she didn't stop talking…"

"Rebekah is here?" Stefan interrupted him with surprise, fighting with uncoordinated limbs to get his shirt off. Damon turned back at him faster than he would have if he had been calmer, mouth open and ready to answer, before staying silent a bit more, his eyes studying him with concern.

"Your scars are almost gone," He finally declared with a hint of satisfaction. "Looks like Bonnie's witchy ways managed to heal you finally!"

Stefan was a bit put off by the quick change of topic but soon found the trail of his thoughts.

"I'll thank her later – that would only be just one more person to add on the list of people saving me, right? I assume she is the one who let me feed on her when you went to free me?" Damon hesitating to nod was enough of an answer. "But what about Rebekah? Why is she here?"

"To ruin the carpets with the blood of her victims," Damon answered matter-of-factly. "Long story, brother, and your bath is ready. It would be a shame to let it get cold without tasting it…"

Stefan rolled his eyes – but there was a small smile playing on his lips, the first one since he had woken up here.

"Get out of here while I'm washing then!" And the door closed on a laugh "But don't run away, I still want answers!"

Taking a bath was great, really great, after months without getting as much as a cold shower (unless he counted the bucket of ice water emptied over his head to wake him up). He could have fallen asleep in the water if it wasn't for Damon banging at the door, urging him to get up – "Clean clothes on my bed brother, everyone is waiting to see you on your feet again!" – and keeping guard at the door when he finally left the bathroom, water still dripping from his hair.

"Go put your clothes on," Damon said before going to wait for him at the stop of the staircase.

Well he would be wearing black for his return then. Not that he minded particularly – it was more difficult to see blood on black after all…

Coming down the staircase was a bit of an adventure, but probably more due to his hunger and his last wounds healing that any potential poison running through his veins – and Damon was right behind him after all, ready to catch him if it was needed. Everyone was already in the kitchen, effectively waiting for them, loud voices and smells of food (and _blood_) and… yes, people quarreling. With Caroline and Klaus under the same roof, it wasn't such a surprise though, especially if Rebekah was here too – and with Matt and Bonnie… And where was Elena?

"Ready to go face the lions, brother?" Damon whispered in his ear, concern hidden behind brotherly teasing.

Stefan shrugged.

Damon opened the door.

And everyone became silent within a few seconds.

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_I would be really honored to be able to read your thoughts on this chapter... So feel free to share!_


	3. Part III

_Hello everyone! Thank you very much for all your kind words, it really helps to know you're liking this story so far! So, I know I said it wouldn't be any longer than four parts last time, but... well, this is going to be longer, I just don't know how many parts exactly there will be. I'll try to post a new part every week (most likely on Sonday). As usual, it had been corrected by a native speaker, but all the remainig mistakes are mine! Ah, and I changed the summary too, what do you think of it? Anyway, have fun reading! _

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_And everyone became silent within a few seconds._

**Part III**

They all had the same expression of waiting on their faces. Caroline, Bonnie, and, surprisingly enough, Matt masked concern behind their expressions, while Klaus and Rebekah harbored their usual mild annoyance.

Elena was nowhere to be seen.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Rebekah greeted him with a nod.

"Good morning," Stefan answered with some surprise, not expecting all of them to be there.

Caroline was sitting at his right, followed by Bonnie, Matt, Rebekah and Klaus, who couldn't hide a pronounced smirk when Damon sat down next him. There were – as usual – no lost feelings between these two…

"What are you all doing here? And where is Elena?" Stefan asked, unable to hide his curiosity any longer. Caroline frowned at his right, joined by Bonnie and Matt (what the hell had happened between these four, seriously?) while Klaus snorted, Rebekah raising her eyebrows.

"Damon didn't tell you? She is gone," She answered with something that sounded like satisfaction. "Elijah took her and her brother out of town three or four months ago; I think he wanted to bring them to Detroit. He said that you two" and Damon was staring at her with more malice than Stefan had seen in a long time "had no idea how to handle newborn vampires, especially when said vampire is sired to someone."

"It wasn't really difficult to convince her to leave, once Elijah mentioned he knew someone who could help Jeremy to handle his new abilities" Klaus added, obviously enjoying the surprise on his face.

Elena was _gone_.

Away.

She had left Mystic Falls with a vampire – but not Damon or him, no, _with Elijah of all people_.

"Big brother saving the day one more time," Bonnie grumbled in her chocolate, Matt nodding while he was eating his pancakes.

He would probably have been envious, if it wasn't for the glass of blood waiting in front of him – craving human food was a long gone feeling.

"You should drink that", Bonnie told Stefan, indicating his glass. "The spells the witches used were strong ones. A diet with human blood is impossible to avoid, I'm afraid."

"There's animal blood in it, though," Caroline whispered, satisfied with herself.

"Oh my god, just stop talking about blood at breakfast, it's disgusting!" Matt complained looking at his pancakes with regret – obviously, someone had lost his appetite.

"Such a delicate stomach," Klaus noticed with a smirk, before complaining when Rebekah stepped on his foot with her heels.

"Matt has nothing of a delicate stomach or he wouldn't have handled the rescue mission so well!" She protested, Caroline backing her up quickly – and _since when were these two friends?_ What rescue mission were they even talking about? His _own_ rescue?

The noise was growing louder: Klaus annoying his sister and Caroline as usual, Matt staying out of the situation – smart attitude – Bonnie counting the points, rolling her eyes when Damon entered the game, all smirks and acid lines. It would have been a peaceful breakfast, letting himself slip into this atmosphere of comfort and ease with each other (was it friendship?) if it wasn't for the sun reverberating on Matt's knife, attracting Stefan's eyes. He gasped; his memories of his imprisonment – _torture_ – triggered by the light playing on the object and lost all conscience of his environment. Back against the wall, his chair lost on the floor, he looked at them with feral eyes, adopting the same posture as a wounded animal, while everyone was getting agitated around the table.

"I _told you time and time again,_ it would happen if you weren't being careful!" Bonnie was obviously aggravated by the lack of tact going around, while Caroline was getting closer to Stefan in careful steps, frowning again when Damon reached his brother's side faster, putting a firm hand on Stefan's shoulder.

"Stefan, _calm down_."

And he was shaking him, of course he was, trying to keep his voice gentle, not to startle his brother even more.

"I thought you had broken all the spells put on him?" There was anger in Klaus's voice, controlled anger facing a powerful witch, Matt's hand touching hers gently.

"It's called _trauma_ you idiot, a psychological reaction which has nothing to do with magic! You were here when Meredith took care of him!"

"How _dare_ you call me an idiot?!"

"Hey, tone it down a bit!" Caroline protested; arms crossed on her chest. "You're not helping!"

"Come back to us brother, there is nothing harmful to you here." Damon's voice was getting more agitated, but he soon stopped panicking, helping his brother to sit down against the wall, Caroline gently petting his hair, murmuring soothing nonsense. A few whispered words behind their back relaxed them all immediately, permitting Stefan to avoid the suffering of a panic attack and helping him to calm down faster than he would have without any witchy help.

"Are you alright?" Damon asked with concern, seeing his brother facing him again, looking calmer. He kept his grip on Stefan's shoulder, helping him to go back to his chair, everyone obviously more relaxed thanks to Bonnie's spell.

"Yeah, sorry," Stefan answered with a low voice, uncomfortable at his own reaction. He was an old vampire for heaven's sake, not some special fragile flower! But it was good to feel the warmth of Damon's leg against his own, assuring him he wasn't alone…

"Meredith wants to see you at the hospital once you're feeling good enough to leave the house," Bonnie told him before finishing her drink. "To talk a little with you…"

Stefan nodded, taking his glass carefully. Matt kept staring at him, his pancakes forgotten on his plate, feeling guilty – it had already been bad enough to see Stefan when he had driven them all away from this house of horrors, broken, bloody on the backseat, half lying on Damon and Caroline…

"You still haven't told me why you are all here," Stefan finally said after a moment of silence, Rebekah's latest words turning in his mind.

"Well, we all went to rescue you from where you were imprisoned," Rebekah answered with a smile, making Bonnie snort in her pancakes.

"Your brother is really annoying when he is _sick_ worrying about you," She detailed, smiling gently to Stefan. Matt and Caroline nodded vigorously in the background.

"Thanks, Bennett," Damon sneered, finishing his own glass of blood in one sip.

"You're welcome," She answered, eyes sparkling, before turning her attention back to Stefan. "Damon was worried when he realized he couldn't track you down from Arizona, so he went to ask Klaus for his help…"

"I didn't _ask_ for his help. I merely reminded he had spent the last weeks plotting with my brother behind everyone's back and so thus was on top of my suspects list…"

"You came _crawling_ for help," Rebekah interjected, holding her laugh with difficulty. "Two months without any news about your dear little brother and you were a mess…"

"That's what big brothers do when their siblings disappear, sweetheart," Klaus remarked before drinking the last remaining of his drink, eyes fixed on Stefan – or was it Caroline?

Bonnie suppressed a laugh, eyes kept on Damon's blushing face. At her right, Rebekah was rolling her eyes, a playful smile on her lips, before casting a glance to Matt, who was nodding seriously, the memory of his lost sister painfully vivid in his mind.

Stefan pressed on, "So Damon went to you to ask for your help…" As pleasant as it was to see everyone happy and smiling – and Klaus far from having murdering tendencies – Stefan still wanted answers.

"Indeed he came, and we realized soon enough your disappearance wasn't something natural, so we went to see your dear friend Bonnie," Klaus started, before being brutally interrupted by said Bonnie.

"You remember how I left town at the same time as you did, right? Professor Shane sent me to visit a couple of his friends to get my magic back," She explained solemnly, all banter gone from her voice. "Caroline called me and told me what happened, so I came back to help."

"I thought you said you didn't want to have to deal with any of our _death inducing activities_?" Stefan noticed with surprise, remembering very well all the screams and tears – and blood – Bonnie's departure had brought, Elena heartbroken at seeing both of them leaving at the same time. (Not as much as Caroline though, who made the witch promise she would call her if she ever needed _anything_, from help to a girl night.)

"Being on _Team Rescue Stefan Salvatore_ is so much funnier than being on _Team Rescue Elena Gilbert_ Stefan," Rebekah interjected, making Matt choked on his drink. "Plus, it's not like anyone _died_ this time."

"Except for those who kept you captive of course, but it was them or us, and alas, we were stronger," Klaus summarized, fingers playing against the wood of the table.

"Obviously this is only the short version but some of us still have to go to school, you know, to _at least_ keep pretending we are normal teenagers… so you will have the full story later!"

Bonnie's words were the departure's signal. Caroline stopped to hug Stefan tightly, kissing him on the cheek – and he could have sworn Klaus was burning holes in his skull, but the pleasure of the embrace was worth it – before following Bonnie, Matt and Rebekah who were… _holding hands? Seriously?_ Stefan turned back his attention to his brother and Klaus, only to find them staring at him with deadly serious expressions, making him raise his eyebrows higher than usual – and _ouch_, it hurt to move his skin like that.

"I let Rebekah out of her coffin as soon as you were out of town, and she was the one who convinced me your disappearance wasn't natural," Klaus uttered between his teeth, a frown on his forehead. "So some thanks when she comes back would be _appreciated_."

"Of course I will thank her, and everyone else, _as soon as I know the whole truth about what happened_," Stefan retorted aggressively.

"There is more about Bonnie's reasons to help us find and rescue you", Damon started with a calm voice, putting his hand on Stefan's shoulder. "Let's go to the office, it's a better place to talk about it."

"I'm not going anywhere until one of you tells me what happened," Stefan sneered, jerking away from Damon's touch, too tense to stay calm much longer. "Spit it out!" He added after seeing his brother and Klaus exchanging glances.

"Bonnie made a deal with something born of very old, dark magic to find you," Klaus finally explained with a shadow on his face.

Damon nodded, looking slightly guilty, avoiding his brother's gaze. Stefan couldn't believe what he had just heard.

Someone had been messing with dark forces to help him.

Bonnie had put herself in danger _for him_.

His own wasted vampire skin.

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_As usual, knowing your opinion on the text helps a lot to write the new parts!_


	4. Part IV

_Thank you everyone for your support, this story wouldn't be written without you! Here is the new part, I hope you'll enjoy it! As usual, all the remaining mistakes are mine._

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**Part IV**

_The corridors were cold and empty, moisture all over the walls. Save for the weak lights irregularly hung on the stones, they couldn't have seen a damn thing as soon as the heavy door fell closed behind them. They didn't have much time before the remaining hunters came after them and they had yet to reach their destination… Damon felt his heart racing, unable to keep his anxiety under control anymore. Perhaps the last hunter they had killed had been right, perhaps Stefan was already… no. No, he shouldn't be thinking like that, his little brother was strong, had always been strong, and five months here couldn't have weakened enough to have him…_ killed. _No, he needed to stay hopeful; it was doing Stefan a disservice to believe so little of him. Shaking his head, he started walking faster, almost running, Bonnie and Caroline right behind him, the witch's spell getting stronger as they were reaching the exact room where Stefan was held captive. Two hunters were in it, but not for long – the first one didn't even have the time to see Caroline jumping on him, ripping his heart out, blood from her other victims still drying on her cheeks. Klaus took care of the other, feeding from the artery with a savagery that reminded Damon of his brother's Ripper days. Stefan was nowhere to be seen at first – but soon enough, Damon noticed a broken, bloody body curled on the floor, bruises and wounds clearly visible where ragged clothes weren't hiding them. He fell on his knees at his brother's side, horrified to see him so weak and shattered. His hands were shaking when he tried to bring Stefan closer to him, making his brother whimper in pain, clearly agonizing at every move. _

"_Just open his mouth Damon, he needs to drink human blood _now_," Bonnie whispered while falling to her knees on the side of the wounded vampire, raising her sleeve up to the elbow. _

_And Stefan was too weak to even drink without any help, despite Damon's encouraging words "Come on, brother, just drink a bit more…" and Bonnie's spell. She finally gave up, clearly exhausted by all the magic she had used on their way here, while Klaus and Caroline were peeking around them, getting more nervous as seconds were flying. They soon decided to go away now even if Stefan clearly wasn't in a state to be moved – but they were all going to die if they stayed here any longer, and he needed medical care as soon as possible. Damon was carrying him in his arms like a child, Caroline supporting Bonnie right behind him, Klaus urging all of them to hurry – or they were going to lose the very person they wanted to save…_

ooOoo

It had been difficult, but they finally managed to convince Stefan to go continue the discussion in the office. And if Klaus had used a couple of Original tricks to convince him, well… Let's just say Damon wasn't too happy with it, especially after seeing how shaken his little brother was by the demonstration of power. (And there may or may not have been some punches thrown between the two eldest vampires, Stefan rolling his eyes before leaving the room heading to the office.) There was a warm atmosphere in the room, unwillingly welcomed by Stefan, who took a seat only when his brother and Klaus were seated. Arms crossed, he looked at them with a stern face, displeasure written on every line of his body.

"Why did you feel the need to involve _Bonnie_ in this when she stated very clearly she didn't want to have anything to do with us?" He finally snapped, his anger bubbling.

Damon raised his hands in a sign of peace, discomfort all over his face. Klaus was silent, which was unusual for him, his eyes kept on Stefan.

"I guess you remember there were witches with the hunters who kept you prisoner, right?" Damon started in a low voice, not enjoying his position. "Well… Bonnie had been sent to study with one of them, under Shane's advice, as you can guess. She wasn't supposed to know her new _professor_" - and there was so much scorn in this word - "was dealing with hunters, but she overheard them talk. Caroline had told her what had happened here, and how there were no clues of where you were, so she didn't need a lot of time to understand what was going on."

They had been lucky, oh, so lucky! Without Bonnie, they never would have found the place – a hidden house in the middle of the woods – where the hunters had established their HQ; where they were keeping their prisoner. Seeing Damon lost in his thoughts, Klaus started talking, a bit disturbed by the fact Stefan's mood hadn't been eased by the confession.

"We organized a plan with Bonnie to get you out of here without letting the witches know they had a spy in their ranks. Unfortunately, it took us more time than we had hoped to get a good opportunity to free you unnoticed… well, almost."

Stefan shook his head, knowing Klaus and Damon too well not to notice they were still hiding something from him – something important, seeing how reluctant they were to talk about it.

"There is more, isn't it?"

The two vampires stayed silent, Klaus refusing to give the witch away – it wasn't _his_ to tell anyway – and Damon really regretting the whole situation with each passing second.

"Fine! I'll just have to ask Bonnie then, or Caroline… Even Rebekah wouldn't have issues telling me the whole truth!"

"Calm down Stefan, please" Damon pleaded, not liking where the discussion was going. "The spell the witches put you under was a really dark one, Bonnie had to make a big deal to break it and –"

"Why?! Why would she put herself in this freaking situation again?!"

Klaus rolled his eyes at the outburst, enjoying the fact his seat was farthest from Stefan's than Damon's, who obviously had been surprised by his brother rising on his feet. And Stefan was still going, of course.

"You know what happened last time she tried to help us Damon, she almost _died_ in the process, lost her grandma and wasn't even able to do magic anymore!"

"I know, I know, but she proposed it herself –"

"What did you threaten her with this time?"

That was a low blow; even Klaus admitted it, watching with fascination how Damon closed in on himself, jaw tense and eyes cold, kicking his seat while rising up. The change in his brother didn't go unnoticed by Stefan, who lost all his anger, before rising his hands in a peace move.

"I'm sorry," He blurted, not staring at Damon anymore. "I didn't mean to…"

The ring of Stefan's phone broke the tension, the three vampires looking at it with surprise. Startled, Stefan waited a second or two before moving to get it, answering just in time.

"Hello?"

"_Stefan?"_

All colour drained from Stefan's face when he heard – and recognized – the feminine voice, making Klaus wince in sympathy. Damon was feeling a bit more relaxed than the moment before, anger leaving him while concern was showing on his face.

"Elena?"

ooOoo

Elena closed her eyes when she heard Stefan's voice, guilt clenching her heart. Jeremy and Elijah were on the other side of the lounge, leaving her some privacy, but she knew the old Original was listening to everything.

"I'm glad to hear your voice," She finally said, breath shaken, feeling strangely vulnerable. She'd a hand in Stefan's departure, and knowing what had happened next… They were all _very_ lucky to still have a place in Bonnie's heart.

"_I… yeah, me too. I've been told you were in Detroit?"_ His voice was a bit muffled – Damon was around, of course, but they probably weren't alone.

"Yeah, Elijah found us a place to stay for the moment," She answered, a pale, grateful smile on her lips when the vampire looked at her, eyebrows raised in concern. "But that's not important. How are you feeling?"

He laughed a bit – a broken laugh which would have turned in a sob if he wasn't so strong, she knew. How stupid she had been…

"_Alive and not in pain, so that's a big improvement,"_ He answered, muffled voices behind him – and there was Damon talking to him, she was ready to bet on that. They were probably in the kitchen or the office, brothers standing close to each other and – _"I have Bonnie to thank for that, I've been told she was the one behind me healing so well…"_ Elena bit her lips, knowing very well what had happened – and for once, the price wasn't on her dear witch friend. But Stefan wasn't aware yet…

"Bonnie has always been very talented when it comes to healing," Elena added with a fake laugh, already regretting her phone call. It wasn't the kind of discussion she wanted to have right now, not when Stefan was still oblivious to the price of his freedom and _there was the smell of blood taunting her nose_.

Damn it.

"_Hey Elena, not to interrupt, but it would probably be better if you could call later,"_ Damon's voice startled her, panic starting to rise in her heart. She could feel the weight of Elijah's worried stare on her face – and there were sounds of a fight at the other end of the line – _"He is still a bit tired so he's gonna call you later, okay?"_

"Fine, see you later," She mumbled before ending the call, leaning against the wall, feeling dizzy. She had been so careful to avoid any contact with Damon's voice in the past few months, knowing very well it was the best for both of them, and look at what had happened!

"Sit down and breath Elena, everything is fine. You did good."

Elijah's hands were warm on her arms, guiding her to the couch before helping her to sit. She absently heard the sound of a door closing – and it was probably Jeremy, out in town until she – they – feel better.

Stupid sire-bond.

ooOoo

The corridors of their school were crowed as usual, innocent teenagers babbling about everything to everyone, ignorant of what was happening in the dark. Caroline shook her head, not wanting to think about her lost, naïve days. She was better now – a better person, with a better life, even if darker and more violent.

"It's so weird to be here again," Rebekah under mumbled her breath, obviously not enjoying the mindless chatting of the people they were crossing.

"Some of us actually need to graduate before going to college and getting a job," Matt answered without animosity, clearly uncomfortable. Spending so much time with vampires wasn't doing him any good, and with Jeremy gone in Detroit and Tyler out of the tow, he had been a bit lonely during the past few months.

"If we are lucky nothing dangerous will happen again before graduation," Caroline murmured while taking her books, a pensive look on her face.

Bonnie shrugged, obviously feeling good about the whole situation.

"Stefan and Damon have to take care of their part of the contract, we all are totally done with the whole situation now," She reminded her with a smile. "I mean you can all join in the mission if you want, but it's not really _yours_ to do, so perhaps you should just leave it now…"

"I don't think Stefan is going to like that," Rebekah added with a grimace, Caroline nodding furiously behind her.

"Well they don't exactly have a choice now," Bonnie retorted, her smile disappearing. "It was that deal or he was left to rot there, and I would like for my work not be thrown in the garbage. They weren't exactly the kind of people you deal with without bringing to a successful end the task they give you."

"It's not gonna end well," Matt whispered to Caroline while they were entering their classroom, his friend sighing with a nod.

What had happened during the past few months wasn't an experience they wanted to repeat _ever again_.

* * *

_Feel free to share your feelings, your hypotheses, whatever you want!_


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